Soriano leads Cubs to 6-3 win over Reds

[June 08, 2009]  CINCINNATI (AP) -- Alfonso Soriano led off the 14th inning with a home run and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 on Sunday to win their weekend series.

Soriano hit Mike Lincoln's first pitch into the seats in right-center for his 14th homer of the season. He was 0 for 5 before the clutch drive.

Mike Fontenot added an RBI single off Lincoln (1-1) and Reed Johnson doubled in a run for the Cubs, who led 3-1 after six innings.

Rookie David Patton (2-1) pitched the 13th to get the win and Angel Guzman finished for his first career save. Patton got Brandon Phillips to line out to right with runners on first and second to end a Cincinnati threat.

Randy Wells was in line for his first career victory before the Reds rallied to tie it. The rookie right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

Wells has had some tough luck over the first 10 games of his major league career. He is 0-2 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 8. He has a 1.64 career ERA but is still looking for his first win.

Bronson Arroyo went seven innings for the Reds, yielding three runs and five hits. He also committed a costly throwing error that led to two unearned runs in the third.

With no outs and runners on first and second, Arroyo fielded Soriano's comebacker and threw wildly to second to leave the bases loaded. The right-hander retired the next two batters before Derrek Lee hit a two-run single to center field to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead and end their 0-for-21 skid with runners in scoring position.

Ryan Hanigan, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jonny Gomes each drove in a run for Cincinnati. Gomes' sacrifice fly in the eighth tied it at 3.

Ryan Theriot connected in the first inning for the Cubs, hitting his first road homer and 13th of his career. It was his first since May 13 and sixth of the season, twice as many as he'd hit in any previous season.

Notes: Chicago's rainout at Atlanta last week has been rescheduled for June 22 at 7:10 p.m. ... The Reds and Cubs are off Monday before opening road series, Cincinnati at Washington and Chicago at Houston. ... Hairston has committed three errors in the last two games at third base. ... Four of the Cubs' last five games have gone extra innings.

[Associated Press]

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